What to Wear in Ireland: A Packing Checklist for the Emerald Isle!

What to Pack for Ireland

Ireland is a country known to have four seasons… all in one day, so it pays to pack smart! With unpredictable weather, intermittent bouts of rain and beautiful rolling green hills, here are some ideas for what to wear in Ireland to look stylish but feel practical!

1. Cozy Sweaters

Make sure to pack layers. I’m currently loving Free People’s cozy knits and underneath, I layer Uniqlo’s heat tech thermals. I also packed a couple blazers to wear over thinner knits for colder days or evenings. J. Crew blazers are always well made and last me years.

I packed a couple different pairs of jeans, as once they get damp or too ‘outdoorsy’ I like a fresh pair. If you have any waterproof pants, bring those! Even in the summer, Dubliners wear long pants so leave the shorts at home.

2. Comfortable Shoes & Hiking Boots

I would recommend packing a pair of comfortable sneakers for sightseeing around Dublin and the Irish cities as well as a pair of ankle boots. These are my favorite boots of the moment – they come in every color and material and are so stylish! For sneakers, I recently treated myself to a pair of Golden Goose sneakers and they’re stylish yet comfy!

3. Rain Gear

I also recommend bringing a light weight rain boot if you can fit it in your luggage. Ireland is blessed with tons of rain and there’s nothing worse than wet feet.

You’ll also definitely want a good rain jacket and a lightweight but durable umbrella. Ireland can rain at random and often be quite windy, so a well made rain breaker will really come in handy. I borrowed C’s Arc’Teryx rain jacket for most of the trip and it was a life saver.

Packing Cubes | I like to group clothing by color or function and pack each group of items snugly in their own packing cube. These are a lifesaver for keeping your suitcase organized in your hotel room and are my number 1 secret to maximizing space in just a carry on suitcase. Amazon has their own inexpensive 4 piece packing cube set and several travel blogger friends swear by this set from eBags.

Toiletry Bottles | Optional, but I currently like these for shampoo and conditioner. If I know I’m staying in nice hotels, I don’t always bring shampoo but I always want my conditioner. I also pack extra ziplock bags to keep toiletries and wet clothes safely contained.

Portable Charger |Definitely a must! I currently use an iPhone 6S Plus and this Anker portable charger keeps my phone fully charged at all times. The charger is small and sleek enough to fully charge an iPhone twice. Anker has great customer service – I once bought a product off Amazon that ended up dying and they quickly sent me a replacement free of charge, so I highly recommend them!

Photographing Your Ireland Vacation: Camera Packing Checklist

Camera and Lenses | When traveling in Ireland, you’ll likely want to photograph the Emerald Isle’s rolling green hills and dramatic ocean cliffs. I like the 16-35mm lens and recently picked up this Sony camera body as it’s much lighter than my Canon!

I also bring along a GoPro to capture any action like bike riding or swimming. I recommend the GoPro Hero 6 which was just released! Dunmore East in southwest Ireland has a really fun water adventure center – if you like kayaking, SUP or water obstacle courses this place is for you. There are also great cycling opportunities throughout Ireland – from the first greenway opened in County Mayo to the longest greenway in County Waterford.

To capture waterfalls, sunsets and the like, you’ll want a tripod so that your camera can remain steady enough for the long exposure. I use a carbon fiber Gitzo tripod but also bring along this much more affordable Mefoto for travel as it’s much lighter.

I shoot primarily with SD cards since you can insert them in your laptop to easily offload, but I keep all my cards in this wallet to keep them organized and easily reachable. This memory card case that I use fits both SD and CF cards and was under $7.

Fun Day Trips in Ireland

What to Buy in Ireland

Wool products are some of the best things to buy in Ireland. With more sheep than people, Irish wool is made into everything from cozy knit sweaters to throws to blankets!

Irish Souvenirs and Gifts |If you’re looking to buy clothing in Ireland as a gift, Aran Woolen Mills and Quills are two stores you’ll see all over Ireland that sell a huge assortment of wool sweaters in every price point, style and pattern. I loved the wool blankets and throws I saw – they can be extremely soft or thick & warm.

For gorgeous wool products, check out luxury Irish brands like McNutt, based in Donegal and Foxford, based in County Mayo. If you’re stumped on what to buy in Ireland, I think their wool throws would make a great gift for anyone. They’re dyed to practically any shade, from bright fuchsia pinks to muted greens and greys and come in checkered prints, stripes and solids.

Irish Fashion |Some global fashion brands that you can find in Ireland include Primarks, Pennys, T.K. Max, River Island for fast fashion. For high end, check out lifestyle stores like Brown Thomas and Carraig Donn.

Visiting Ireland – Travel Checklist

Aer Lingus, the national Irish airline, offers non-stop flights from select US cities. While we didn’t enjoy our experience with them (flight attendants skipped us for meals multiple times and were rude) Aer Lingus is rapidly expanding their routes and offers low fares (some non stop) from many US cities. We found cheap flights to Ireland in October – you can check for flight deals and routes here.

When returning to the U.S., take advantage of the U.S. pre-clearance facilities at Dublin and Shannon airports, where you complete U.S. immigration, customs and agriculture controls before departure so that when you land in the U.S., you can just collect your bags.

I highly recommend staying at an Irish country house or family run hotel during your trip. Irish hospitality is truly something else. Check out Ireland’s Blue Book for luxury, boutique accommodation with a focus on family-run properties and excellent food.

Lastly, be sure to visit Ireland with travel insurance. Whether you get injured and need to be hospitalized, or your phone gets stolen, or an injury forces you to cancel all or part of your vacation, travel insurance will help when you need it most. Hurricane Ophelia hit the country smack in the middle of our road trip! I use and recommend Allanz travel insurance.